A River of Fire
by BlueRedBlueRedBurntSienna
Summary: From a destroyed water tribe village, Katara is adopted as a baby by Iroh and raised beside Zuko. This story is about their childhood, adulthood, relationship and blossoming friendship that stay strong even through a time of war.
1. Unfinished Buisness

A/N: There's a lemon as the first chapter. Why? Because I like to order the sequences of my stories in a retarded fashion haha. Anyway, this particular lemon is a flash back and plays important part in a future chapter. The following chapter is the true beginning-which begins with Iroh's invasion into the last remaining water tribe's settlement.

FOR THOSE WHO WANT A VISUAL FROM A SCENE...( **http : /** **fav . me** **/ d2v65xd** )...My friend Mike finally got his scanner up and running, so please look at his awesome rendition of a Zutara moment!

Enjoy the lemon lol.

* * *

Chapter ?: 7-up or sprite? Tasty...

* * *

When had she become a woman? Why hadn't he seen the gradual change from boy and girl to man and woman with feelings-these kind of feelings. Of course, he remembered all the poundings of his heart, the way his nose flared seeing her together with Masaru. Jealousy, love, want and need consumed him. Fuck it; he was in heat, and in love with his best friend.

"Katara," he called out to her softly. He knew that she loved him, as a best friend, of course. She had Masaru as the other significant man in her life. He knew he wasn't thinking. He knew he was being stupid. But he didn't want to turn back, and honestly, like he said earlier, fuck it. His walk to her seemed like wading through knee deep rapid water, it was a hard and long perilous journey. The cold air froze his face, he inhaled ice, and his brain lagged.

She turned around and smiled. How many times had they rendezvoused here at the rear of the ship? So many intimate moments, so many memories...warm ones...

His expression was one she couldn't comprehend. It was a mix of confusion, and that look Masaru also gave her-_that_ look. Her breath hitched, and she felt uncomfortable. Don't look at me that way, Zuko...please don't...

He clenched his teeth together, his jawbones protruded as the muscles moved. He felt awkward, and strangely out of place.

"Katara..." he reached out to grab her hands, but she reflexively pulled away and apologized if she hurt him. He knew she was probably feeling scared, after all, even he was afraid of himself. He tried once more, and successfully entwined his fingers in hers. Warmth flooded into his stomach, and a burst if fire shot up his arm. "Katara...I think I'm in..." He swallowed, and with a sigh, he looked down. This shit was way harder than Masaru had made it look. He met eyes with her again, bumping his forehead gently on hers, "I think I love you..."

Her eyes widened-she hadn't been expecting this. She felt Zuko stagger, and she realized that her face must've portrayed an expression of utter horror. She couldn't help it, she and Masaru... But her and Zuko... It was a possibility she had never considered.

Zuko broke her from her reverie by kissing her. It was brief, and lasted for only a fleeting moment. Katara had moaned lightly, the feel of his soft and warm lips on her cold ones...it was pleasant...but wrong. And somehow it excited her. She looked up at Zuko, seeing surprised eyes and flushed cheeks.

"Did you just...?"

Oh, he must've meant that small, little, tiny, inaudible moan. Oh god, why did this night of all nights have to be so cold? Katara fought a blush, and felt him kiss her again. He nipped at her bottom lip, gliding his tongue gently over hers to make her open it slightly. It was pleasurably, painfully slow. She shouldn't be doing this, she kept screaming to herself. Fuck it, she thought, releasing her entwined fingers from his to brush against his neck. He moaned lightly into their kiss, and Katara smiled into his lips. The vibration of that little noise had tickled her insides.

His hands came to rest on her waist, kneading her flesh from behind her nightgown. She leaned into him until her breasts squished against his chest. As he hissed, her hands fisted his hair, pulling gently, pushing him closer to her.

Zuko broke their kiss, watching the girl before him blink with half-lidded eyes. She groaned in retaliation, and he knew she wanted more. More, more, more... He lowered his lips to her neck and suckled on her soft skin. He heard her gasp out loud and clutch the front of his robes.

"Uhhnnnn..."

His teeth brushed against her skin, while his wandering tongue left wet trails that grew cold with each passing sea breeze. He'd leave hickeys galore on her if she continued moaning like that.

"Zuko..."

Fuck. He shivered when he heard her call out his name like that. Need, want, lust, and greed laced her voice. He halted his ministrations on her body, and she frowned in disappointment. He grinned back at her jauntily, knowing all too well that he was now in control. He leaned into her again, letting his lips linger dangerously close to her ear; "we'll need to get inside- it's getting too cold out here."

She sighed, "felt pretty hot out here to me..." But her disappointed whisper did not go unnoticed by Zuko. He gave her a devilish smirk and swooped her up into his arms.

"Ready to go Princess?"

Katara rolled her eyes and screamed when Zuko tossed her up into the air.

He laughed, "think I'd let my princess fall?" He began walking to his cabin. She smacked him to snap him back into reality. She scowled. He smiled back.

"Not funny."

"Okay, okay princess."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and let her lips linger close to his, "and the name's Katara...not princess..." She hissed that last part for emphasis and quickly moved away from his face, refusing to give him a kiss.

Zuko was sad. Very sad. :'(

* * *

Zuko and Katara were captured in a frenzy of miniature battles over dominance. Her lips overcame his, but his roaming hands were slowly breaking her defenses. Moans leapt from nowhere, filling his room with pleasured noises.

He no longer carried her in the 'princess pose,' but in a more completely less innocent one. Her legs were wrapped tightly around his waist, arms around his neck, hands wandering, tugging, pushing and pulling through his unruly hair. Supporting her weight with one of his hands, he used the other to push unimportant books and papers off his desk and placed her on it. Katara moaned and arched her back against the wall as Zuko's lips trailed down her neck, lingering at her collarbone.

"Ahhh...ohhhh...mmhmmmm..."

She breathed his name as his hands reached up to cup her breasts. He drowned her moans with a dominant kiss that had her arch her head backwards. He squeezed and massaged her breasts, enjoying as the soft mound molded into his hands. "You know..." he panted between kisses, "I never realized how ample you were..." She looked embarrassed, as if wondering if it was a good thing. He smiled, kissing her collarbone lightly, moving lower and lower until he nipped at the top of her breast. She squealed, and he broke their proximity to stare from her hickey-covered neck to her bare breasts. Oh yes, he'd definitely leave a mark there too.

He felt a hard nub between his fingers and played with it, hearing a husky moan escape Katara's lips as she arched her back, bringing her breasts closer to him. Shaky hands came to grasp his shoulders tightly.

He raised his brow. "You're not wearing undergarment?"

Her face flushed, "it's not comfortable at night... Uhhnnnn...auuuuu...Mmmm..."

Mhmm. Sure thing princess.

His fingertips played with her erect nipples as he continued kissing her. He was enjoying this quite thoroughly... He flicked her nipples, sunk his teeth into her warm flesh, squeezed and kneaded her flesh, massaged her lips with his, and whispered sweet nothing with a voice he thought had never possessed.

She shrieked softly as he licked her nipple and blew cool air on it. He smirked at her reaction and began to suck on it, his tongue grinded against her nipple, and fought the urge to bite it on instinct. Of course, he was still curious to hear her reaction, so he grazed it with his teeth. She hissed and pushed herself into him more. Interesting.

His other hand continued to roam her naked, upper torso, and she moaned, groaned, and chanted his name over and over again. He felt his blood rush to his nether regions, and unconsciously rocked his hips into hers.

He gasped as an immensely pleasurable sensation flooded his body. Well fuck, that had felt good. He heard her produce a similar reaction and continued to grind his hips into hers. He felt her thighs squeeze his hips as her hands flew to his chest and grip tightly onto his robes. More, just more... Her eyes pleaded. He halted his assaults on her body and helped her take them off.

She sighed, fingertips sliding up and down his chiseled chest and formed abs. She felt him shiver beneath her touch and she gently pushed a finger down on his nipple. His breathing hitched and she began kissing him, leaving butterfly kisses down his chest. Fuuuuckkk... Her arms wrapped around his back and she leaned into him, the gentle rocking of his hips against hers was relaxing. Katara breathed in his scent. It was different from Masaru's. His smelt of fire, ashes, and...sweat. As unpleasant as it sounded in her head, she couldn't understand why his scent, him entirely, was so enticing.

Before she realized it, he lifted her off his desk, never breaking their kiss, and pushed her down on his bed. He took his place above her, and positioned one leg in between hers, with his hands gliding up and down her body.

She groaned, frustrated that they were no longer grinding. So she thrust her hips up his leg. She couldn't tell she was wet, but Zuko felt it, and goddamn was he aroused like fuck. He growled into her hair, grabbing her trusting hips to stop her grinding.

Of course he wanted to make love to her, but in his mind, this foreplay rated about a 4. A 4.5 maybe.

"Zuko..." she groaned, "why did you stop?"

His body was getting hot, so hot. But then again, maybe that was just their body heats combined from pressing together.

Just as he thought she was being obedient, she began rubbing herself on him again to relieve her sexual tension. He forced her hips back down again, almost too forcefully, but whatever, she'd forgive him soon enough-at least he hoped.

"Zuko!" He really hoped the latter.

He plunged his pointer finger into her. And holy shit was she wet. Soaked even. He pumped another finger into her, rubbing her insides gingerly. He felt her hands fist his hair again and sighed. Someday he'd grow bald if he continued to make love to Katara.

She called out his name again, moaning louder and louder with each harder pump. Zuko felt his manhood getting harder, bursting with the need to thrust deep into her tight womanhood. He groaned. While she was being pleasured by him, he was being tortured by his own pleasure factor. But he still continued his finger thrusts, twists and turns. He made her yelp, and watched amusedly as she thrust her hips into his hands to increase her pleasure. Selfish girl. She nearly killed him with her loud scream of pleasure when she came.

He licked his fingers, completely aware that she was watching him through half-lidded eyes. She panted, trying to regain her composure as she supported herself on the back of her elbows. Reaching up to kiss Zuko, she smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, falling back to the bed with him right after her.

"That was amazing..."

"With your moaning, screaming, whimpering and name chanting?"

She shot him a glare. He grinned back and nuzzled her neck, breathing in her scent. A water bender raised as a fire bender, hm? Had the circumstances been different, they'd definitely be having angry sex right now.

He chuckled and pinned her arms above her head with one hand. "My turn..."

She gulped and realized the dangling manhood in front of her. She immediately fingered her womanhood, checking to see if it could fit. There was just no way...

He raised a brow and slid his body over hers, kissing her gently, whispering huskily, "I'll go slow-you know, allow your body to adapt." Katara merely nodded, never taking her eyes away from him.

"Now spread eagle."

She shot him a confused look, "what?"

He sighed. What a turn off. He breathed out and guided himself into her entrance. His eyes closed in sheer pleasure as he slowly squeezed himself into her. She let out a moan and writhed beneath him. He was fuckin huge. She was fuckin small. Houston, we have a mother fuckin problem.

He felt her hands scramble to grip his back. Her legs spread further apart as his torso came between them. Going in this slow was driving him crazy.

Then he felt it-that gate to her entrance. She wasn't going to like this. He bit his lip, letting her gently rid him of the seeping blood. "Katara it's going to hurt a bit."

She nodded, prepared. He grabbed her shoulders for support and thrust himself all the way in. He heard her gasp for air and kissed her, hoping to take her mind off the pain. Cuz fuck, if there was anything he was feeling right at this moment, it was fucking insane. He waited a few moments before deciding that he couldn't keep his carnal needs waiting too long. No, he didn't wait for her to adjust to his member. No, he didn't wait for her, he'd done too much of that anyhow. He'd fuck her. Fuck her senseless, fuck her so hard, so good, she'd forget all about Masaru and enter his world.

"Zuko! It hurts!"

He heard her whine. He heard her cry out for him to listen, but the only thing he listened to was the drowning sound of his heartbeat. He was too selfish with his own wants and needs to pay any heed to her pained cries of retaliation. Her fists pounded his chest, with eyes shut. He felt her legs squeezing his hips so tight he hypothesized he'd wake up with bruises galore. Her body kept shifting, moving away from him and he did not like it. He growled, and adjusted her back to her previous position-torso lined with torso. He left one hand to rest on the curve of her waist to keep her in place.

"Katara...open your eyes...it...should be fine now..."

His thrusts were awkward at first, but he soon got into rhythm and even Katara bucked beneath him. Her constricting legs began to loosen and relax around him. He felt her kiss back as her hands once again returned to dusting his hair with soft moans. But he wasn't going to let her relax; he was going to please her. His thrusts became more desperate, and their harmonious rhythm fell out of balance. He drove deeper, faster and harder. Katara simply couldn't keep up, so Zuko consumed her-his hips drove her ass deep into the sweat soaked sheets of his bed. She couldn't help but admit that his overwhelming power was arousing. She even let herself be dominated by him. Hell, she gave up the moment Zuko plunged into her so hard she thought the earth shook.

The bed squeaked, sheets shifted around as an effect of their frequent and continuous movements. Heavy lust filled pants, moans, groans and whimpers erupted from their passion. Mixed feelings swirled dangerously like a close tornado-so close the moment it comes into view, you just know you're fucked. Yeah, she was in one of those predicaments. She loved Masaru, but she loved Zuko as well. She felt those tingling butterflies with Masaru, but she felt these spine tingling sensations with Zuko. She'd realize her mixed feelings through her intimate encounters during her many rendezvous' with Zuko.

"Ohhh...! Zuko! There! Ahhhhh...!"

Zuko smirked against her swollen nipple. He bit it softly, "...where...?" He lifted himself out of her slowly, moving around in her, as if tracing her circular entrance. "You'll have to show me where..." His hands glided up and down her arms, massaging them sensually, letting his thumbs and wandering fingers delve gently into her soft skin.

She let a disappointed sigh escape her lips. She grabbed his arms and lifted herself up to face him head on. "Zuko, don't play with me. It's messing the mood." She'd be damned if he continued to feign ignorance when he knew-he knew he had her under his control. "She ran her fingers up his chest, only realizing then how toned...muscular...and utterly ripped he was. She'd always seen his body during sparring rounds and bending practices, but never had she identified it as so hot and so...deliciously male. Exactly when and why now of all times did she recognize him to be so alluring? Then his snide remark drew her back from her curious thoughts. She saw his haughty smirk.

A bead of sweat dropped from his forehead and fell between her breasts. She eyed him with a glare. Great, as if she wasn't wet enough already. He licked it slowly, smirk still in place. "But I already have."

Fuck his games. "Not completely," she was tired of his games. Tired of them. She pushed him down so that she was on top. "My turn to fuck you over."

His eyes widened a bit, he'd never heard her swear like that before, and frankly, it turned him on. He let her mount him, watching her every awkward movement with amusement as she guided his manhood into her entrance. Slick, hot and sticky. Ohhhh yeahhh... Her hips rocked into his, and his eyes rolled back, arching his neck into a pillow behind him. "Katara..." he breathed. His hands reached up to cup her bouncing breasts and squeezed then gently, rubbing his thumbs around the dark parts of her nipples in a tantalizingly slow and torturous circular motion. After all, happiness comes in a circular motion, right? He heard her moan and leaned her chest forward into his warm hands.

Her brows knotted together in concentration. "Zuko..." a tone that sounded more like the beginning of a question rather than a moan. "are you...fire...bending...?" He chuckled to himself. What the hell was she talking about? He watched her through half-lidded eyes. Goddamn was she fucking beautiful. He was the first to see this side of Katara, with her mouth parched slightly open, purring in such a sexy voice he never knew she possessed, her milky soft body, her virginity, her reactions to his intimate actions. It was all a first. And he basked in it all.

She whimpered, covering her face with her hands, hips still grinding his. "If you're not... No, you...must be... Why does my...body feel...so...hot...?"

He took this moment of vulnerability to push her back down, resuming his dominant position of alpha male. Her words burned through his mind. Sure her confession made him happy, hell it flooded him with renewed pride, but how the heck do you reply to that sort of question? Katara, you're aroused. I feel it too... So he said the second thing that popped into his mind.

"Because you want me."

He pried her hands away from her face and kissed her. "And I want you too..." His teeth brushed against hers during their kiss. Blood seeped from her lips after Zuko's harsh bites of dominance. He was marking her. First with the hickeys, then her virginity, and now her unsealed lips. Zuko's warmth was enveloping her, consuming her, and she allowed herself to be swept away with his fiery passion.

He broke away from her, taking in a breath. "So now that we know what we want..." His tone was dead serious and husky. Oh shit. She felt that strange pressure build up between her legs and pressed them together to relieve the tension, but froze when her knee bumped into his hard dick. He roughly dragged her hips towards his and grinned devilishly. Leaning in close to her lips he whispered, "so let's go fuckin wild..."

Before Katara had a chance to reply, Zuko was already fucking her senseless. Compared to his thrusts earlier, these were crazy fast and hard. Her breasts jiggled, bouncing up and down and left and right. He wasn't joking about going all out.

His pants were deliriously delicious.

His hair fluttered about, some strands stuck to his face like glue.

His hands were strong, they took her breath away.

No, she thought, _he_ took her breath away.

His kisses. His dominant nature. His thrusts. His unpredictable, and sometimes reckless actions. His smell. His reactions to success and failure. His smile to show gratitude and pure happiness. His frowns to show sadness and disappointment. His smirks that confirmed whenever his point was the right one. His voice whenever he whispered her name. Whenever he called her. Whenever he talked to her, held her. ...whenever she felt him become a part of her. Her heart, her mind, her body...it was consumed by him, haunted by him, filled with him and him only.

She was in his world.

* * *

A/N: So uhh a few of you readers are probably like wtf just happened. Basically the summary of the story is: Katara is adopted by Iroh after his company destroys a water tribe village. She's raised along side Zuko and the two become good friends with time. They develop a bond, a relationship that shows just how powerful friendship is during a time of war. Masaru is one of the fire nation warriors that Katara fights alongside with, and eventually they become an item. At the same time, Zuko's tries to figure out the cause of his strange feelings, which is why, at the beginning of this 'lemon', he realizes their changes from children to adults. So yeah. STORY WILL BE UP SOON :D


	2. Children

At a very young age a baby girl had been given up as an offering to appease the reigning Lord of the fire nation. It was the only thing a small village of aging water benders could do to protect their village. Within the past three years, the fire nation had wiped out a majority of their kind. Last they had heard, even the Northern water tribe's stronghold was beginning to weaken. The fire nation attacked strategically and relentlessly, leaving no survivors.

"They burn down our trees, taint our rivers with the same blackness that tarnish their hearts, and bring about devastation everywhere they go. They use their machines for destruction and consume everything in their path." The old man walked up to a young woman who cradled a bundle in her arms, and patted her shoulder. "I wish that...it did not have to come down to this, my daughter," he began, looking around at the forlorn faces of his people, "but she _is_ our saving grace."

The woman was silent.

"Ah...I have received word from our scouts that _they_ are here, and will arrive to meet with you soon." She closed her eyes painfully, holding back tears as she rocked herself back and forth. The air felt heavy in her lungs, and breathing became difficult.

The old man hesitated, perhaps thinking of something reassuring to say to calm his daughter, but decided against it. As he walked out of the igloo, everyone else followed in quietude, looking down at their mud-covered boots. No one dared to look at the woman, for guilt would eat away at their hearts. The guilt of being powerless, for not being strong enough to fight, for not having the will power to fight... For allowing an innocent child to fall into the hands of their enemies. They were all afraid, helpless, and desperate.

A fleet of gold and a sea of red surfaced from the trees, the old man drew in a breath and prepared himself for the ordeal to come. He watched as the sun rose behind the army, casting a growing shadow that began to engulf the earth beneath his feet. Consumed in blackness...

A middle-aged man came up to him and greeted him with a small smile. He didn't return it.

"I've come to discuss the agreement."

"...yes."

"The terms."

"We will give your our last water bender child and promise to never start a rebellion against your Fire Lord..."

"May I see the child?"

The old man pointed to the biggest igloo and watched as a series of foreign, red-uniformed men walked past him. One slammed into his shoulder and didn't so much as give him an apology.

The young woman looked up to see a flurry of fire nation soldiers enter her sanctuary. She held back her tears as she watched in shock as a middle-aged man, who seemed to be their captain, come towards her. "The deal," he calmly began and sighed, kneeling before her, "I really wish things hadn't come down to this but...Considering the amount of my troops your people have killed, this seems like a more than compromising deal for your people." His eyes were wise, and contained an expression the young woman couldn't decipher. Was it understanding?

Unable to utter a coherent word, the man gently seized the quiet child and looked her over. The woman watched as a man she did not know held her baby, scrutinizing it as if it were some kind of alien. Her arms suddenly felt cold, so she rubbed her hands together to create warmth, and clenched her teeth in acrimony.

"She's beautiful," he finally spoke, giving her a small smile. "You have my word that she will be taken care of. I have a nephew back at home about her age, so she's blessed to grow up with a playmate." He paused, returning to his previous serious countenance. "...But we _will_ raise her as our own-as a fire bender."

Taking her silence as a complaisant reply to their agreement, he closed his eyes and breathed out a heavy sigh.

"We'll be taking our leave then, miss... I am truly sorry." He bowed. Just as he turned around, the woman leapt towards him, a blue dagger in her hand. His men behind him unleashed fires so hot; the man felt the ice beneath his feet melt.

"Katara! Katara! Don't...! NO!"

A woman's desperate screams were heard. Battle cries were sung, and everything was enveloped in fire. A bright crimson filled the sky that night. The moon turned scarlet with anger as she silently watched her people swirl into a tornado of blood, fire, and the passion of unheard cries.

That was truly the end of their kind-the water benders. ...Except for the one child who was sacrificed for her clan...a clan that no longer existed.

* * *

Chapter 1: Children

* * *

She was not told of her heritage. After all, she didn't need to know. General Iroh was surprised when he first unraveled the cloth surrounding the precious child to find that she had a puzzling skin tone of porcelain. Many of the water benders he had met had had dark, tanned skin, and yet this child had been born with a light one. Perhaps he might question another water ben-oh right, he mused, his unit had stupidly lashed out and destroyed their remaining population. All but one.

Katara, as her mother had called out through that night, had a pair of wide, innocent blue eyes. Her face was pale, and it greatly complimented with her dark, ebony hair.

It had been approximately 4 months since his raid and the little water tribe girl was still fast asleep, wrapped up warm and safe in soft layers of cloth. "Tomorrow we arrive home little one," the man whispered silently to a pair of closed ears. He walked towards the door, a pained look on his face, and disappeared into the dark corridors.

* * *

The next day, the ship finally docked. A many people were awaiting their beloved soldiers return and cheers and screams of pure happiness filled the deep blue skies.

"Commander Iroh, your brother has been awaiting your safe return," a soldier began, "oh and may I say that the young prince Zuko has also been anxiously awaiting for your to return to the palace..." the soldier was interrupted by a young boy, around the age of two, who came up behind him and hugged the commanders right leg with great enthusiasm.

"ANH KAL!" the little toddler cheered, running around in a perfect figure eight between the man's legs. "HI! HI!"

"Oh my Zuko, is that you? Why, you've grown so much already! Hello there!" he bent down with a smile, "I missed you too!" He embraced the young boy affectionately. And both parties were truly happy to be reunited with each other.

The young boy just flashed his uncle a huge grin. "Papa," he said and pointed to the direction of the castle. Commander Iroh looked towards the castle with an indescribable expression.

"Come on Zuko," he said ushering the young boy along, "we should hurry back to your father. I'm sure he's awaiting our return." Zuko looked up and smiled, forming an 'ok' sign with his thumb and pointer finger.

Commander Iroh looked back towards the guard behind him holding a strange bundle and motioned for him to come forward. "Uhhh...Sir?"

"The child, please," he said, a friendly smile graced his face as he peered down at the face of the sleeping baby girl in his arms. Children, he thought, looking between the faces of Zuko and Katara, are really the only things that help reassure us grown-ups that innocence still exists in this godforsaken world...

* * *

"Why brother," the Fire Lord said, his arms wide with a smile that literally permeated the room with pride, "welcome home. I have heard of your great success wiping out the last remaining rebels of that damned water tribe."

Commander Iroh merely bowed his head in acknowledgement. "Yes, well, I nearly had myself incapacitated from underestimating their women," he lamely joked. His brother just raised a brow. Obviously he had lost some sense of humor being the great ruler of a powerful nation Iroh mused bitterly.

"By the way," the Fire Lord took a step closer, "what is that in those filthy cloths?" Before Iroh could react, the Fire Lord had pulled back the folds that encased the baby's face. "Iroh, brother...Just what is this?"

Iroh swallowed, but his brother hadn't noticed. "It's a girl, do not fear brother. I found her on the way here; she's not a misplaced water bender tribe babe if you're wondering. Her skin's not like theirs, but she does have confusing blue eyes."

"Brother. You're getting soft. You just picked up a random dirty child on your way here? Do what you want," he said walking back to sit upon his throne of gold. "Call it...you're reward for wiping out the last of my enemies from that good-for-nothing clan." He turned to his son who seemed to be interested in all the hullabaloo. "With the right training and upbringing she may prove to become a sparring partner for Zuko. The boy does need to toughen up," he frowned, watching as his son hugged Iroh's legs, smiling down at the sleeping baby. "What pathetic behavior for a young prince...soon he'll be prancing around like a woman, leaping like a butterfly and talking about absolutely nothing but nonsense..." he said in a hushed tone so only he could hear.

"Zuko, come, let us set her down so she can rest." Iroh said after bowing to take his leave.

Zuko just nodded and followed his uncle out of the chambers obediently.

* * *

"Zuko," Iroh began as he gently set the child down in the middle of his bed, scooping up the sheets to form a circle around her. "Tomorrow let's have a little match. Show how much you've improved on your fire bending," he finished with a grin.

The young boy grinned and raised a red, glowing hand in response.

* * *

Katara: 5 years old

Zuko: 7 years old

* * *

Katara, being an adopted child, had never been raised with as much tender and care as the other fire nation girls. She neither had the grace nor manner to be called a noblewoman despite being raised within the palace. Of course, that was to expect from being raised by the Commander Iroh while growing up near the ever-blossoming young prince Zuko. Tomboy is what some would describe her as; girly was out of the question. She even had short hair, but that was because Zuko complained that her long hair always whipped him in the eyes. She was a warrior, strong at heart and mind. What else was there to expect from the young prince Zuko's personal sparring partner and best friend?

"Zuko! Here I go! Prepare yourself!" Katara warned, getting herself into the typical fire nation offensive pose. Her hands were relaxed and outstretched; her legs were wide apart, grounded in the ground for balance. Then she leapt towards him in a flash.

Zuko smirked, moving his head to the left, just in time to dodge her attack. He turned around, catching her other fist mid-way through a retaliation strike and grinned, "caught ya." He let her go and punched her in the stomach. He watched as she fell to the ground, seething in pain.

"You didn't have to be so rough!" she spat, holding her stomach as she tapped her head against the cold mattress.

He scoffed, "Well if you hadn't announced when you were about to attack, maybe I wouldn't have been on guard."

She frowned, "mind helping me up then?"

Zuko rolled his eyes and offered his hand down to her, "next time don't be so-"

Katara grabbed his hand and shoved him down next to her. "Stupid?" she finished, sticking out her tongue at him before breaking out into laughter at the expression on his face-utter shock and embarrassment, then a devilish smirk.

"Oh hoh, so you think it's nice to betray my trust hm?" he asked as he rolled on top of her and began to tickle her.

Katara screamed with laughter, "ahahahahaha! No! Stop! Ahahahhahahahah! That...that tickles!"

Zuko laughed as well, "of course it does dummy! I know all your weak spots!"

Then his hand slipped and his eyes went wide-he made a mistake, and as soon as he had realized it, he was the on the ground, two arms pinned up and rendered helpless. He was now the victim being tickled. "Katara! No! I am the-ahahahahhahahahaha!"

Katara stuck her tongue out at him again, "never underestimate the power of a girl." She stopped tickling him and slapped him hard on the head. She heard him yelp in pain and almost felt sorry for him. "That'll teach ya. I've been having training sessions with Uncle Iroh," she grinned.

He frowned, "so have I!" he stood up and crossed his arms, "just admit it, you can't win without cheating! Remember that time when we were playing hide and seek and you stopped counting after 7 and found me while I was still looking for a hiding place?"

"Can't help it if you're slow."

He ignored her, "Or the time when you ate all of my meatballs by saying 'look over there! Is that a flying dog?' to distract me?"

She made a face and shrugged, "can't help it if you're gullible."

"And when you-" he was interrupted by the large twin doors opening.

"Uncle!" Katara greeted.

"Uncle!" Zuko repeated, his face bright with happiness, following Katara to embrace Iroh's leg.

"We missed you!" they said harmoniously. Iroh laughed and hugged them back. "I hope you two have been nice to each other."

Zuko pinched Katara's arm. Katara punched him back. Zuko winced, and Katara grinned back triumphantly.

"Anyway Uncle, I've been trying to teach her fire bending but she just can't do it." She sent him a glare, and he glared back. "I don't know what's wrong."

Iroh scratched the back of his neck. Oh boy...he thought. He smiled once more, looking back and forth between Zuko and Katara, "all in due time."

Zuko stared, "meaning..."

"You're a fast bloomer, my dear nephew." Zuko puffed up his chest. That's right, who had bragging rights now? "But you, Katara, are a late bloomer, it will come soon enough. Don't worry about it." Katara shot him back a wide grin.

Iroh ruffled their hair affectionately, "uncle's tired, you two keep sparring." He walked out the door without a second glance. Silence crept back into the room.

"Wanna go to the market? I think uncle needs tea. He looked tired!"

"Well duh," Zuko said, wiping the sweat off his forehead with the back of his arm. "He just came back from raid."

"What kind of raid? Oh! I know! A panty raid right? No wonder he was so tired!"

"And just what the heck is a panty raid?"

She snorted, "like I'd know. I heard a few of uncle's soldiers talking about one before they left."

Zuko rolled his eyes, "well whatever, let's ask him later." He walked towards the exit and turned, "ready to go?"

She grinned, "most definitely!"

* * *

"So...just where are we going to buy this tea?"

Katara looked around, "you know, I'm not too sure."

And thus, the two children walked around the outskirts of the market, searching for this magical drink called, 'tea,' in order to help cure Iroh's tiredness.

Katara bumped into someone. "Owwww," she said, rubbing her forehead. Seeing this, Zuko hurried to her and hid her behind his back.

A tall, large woman turned around, a piece of brown licorice in her mouth. "Oh my, I'm so sorry little one," she said, bending down looking apologetic.

Katara nodded and whispered a soft sorry. The woman smiled and looked at Zuko.

"Are you her older brother?" she chuckled as the young boy began to open his mouth. She ruffled his hair, "what a fine brother you are too, sticking up for your sister," she continued, not allowing him to speak. "Tell you what, I just opened this here trading shop. You two can be my first customers! Oh my, wouldn't that just be grand?"

The woman went to open a small chest, "since you two are my first customers, here's a piece of ginseng, free of charge!" She handed Zuko the small root and watched as he looked at it with a hint of disgust. Katara on the other hand, merely smiled gratefully. It seemed that a little explanation was in order, the woman thought. "That, my child, is called ginseng. It's a rare item to find, especially here in fire bender territory! It helps to create only the best of bestest teas in the world! Soothes tiredness, pain, anxiety, and also helps with digestion."

Katara looked at Zuko, excitement danced in her eyes. "We found it!" she shouted, hugging him. "The tea! We found it!"

Zuko nodded and held onto the ginseng with much care. He turned to he woman and bowed in respect, "thank you very much for the...uhhh..." he raised the root in his hands, letting his action speak for him.

The woman nodded happily, "be sure to come back sweeties! Every month we restock, so I'll have something new just for you!"

Katara and Zuko bowed again and began to leave. Katara didn't feel right just taking without giving, so she reached into her pocket and took out three gold coins she had received from Iroh for her success during their training sessions. "Thank you miss!" she said, laying down the coins on the small box that had contained he strange root. She turned around and began running to catch up with her friend.

The woman shook her head, "I even said that it was free of charge..." Then she picked up the coins and noticed the seal-only palace people, or those born of noble families had coins as valuable as this. The amount was well worth over at least 600! She quickly turned to the direction the children had run off in. Just who were they...

"Hey! Zuko! Wait for me!" She heard the young girl cry.

Zuko? As in the Fire Lord's young son? Prince Zuko? She had heard rumors of the existence of a girl who had been raised along with him like family. She put two and two together and chuckled.

"Honey! We're having a good dinner tonight!" She ran into the rundown shop, heading for the kitchen before she stopped and continued, "And we gotta make sure we get the best of the best of the neatest, most awesomest, most eccentric, rare items we can get!" She smiled to herself, knowing all too well that she'd just landed the best customers ever!

* * *

The two children ran into the palace, Katara holding the ginseng close to her chest, following closely behind Zuko as noblemen and women hurried out of the way. "We need to head to the kitchen! I'm sure that the woman who brings Uncle his tea will know how to take this...thing," he said, taking the oddly shaped root to examine it, "and somehow turn it into tea."

Katara nodded, determination burning in her eyes. "Okay! Let's do that!"

And together they busted through the magnificent double doors that lead into the royal kitchen. Many people were scrambling about, carrying pots and pans back and forth through the many cooking aisles. Zuko cleared his throat, "EXCUSE ME! IS THE WOMAN WHO MAKES MY UNCLE'S TEA HERE?" he bellowed. Everyone halted their actions and turned to face the two children.

"P-prince Zuko!" exclaimed a cook, "what are you doing here alone?" Zuko looked beside him, and seeing nothing, moved aside lazily, allowing a confused Katara to appear before them. "Oh my, forgive me for not seeing you here Ms Katara," the cook laughed. He smiled at them again before snapping his head behind him, "now the rest of you-back to work!" The room became busy once more as the man's thundering voice imitated a cracking whip. He turned back to the children and pointed to a door with a poster of two dragons, one blue and the other red, coiling together as if in an everlasting battle to be king of the sky.

"Commander Iroh's tea maker is in that room. She has all the equipment needed to ground that ginseng into tea." He began to take his leave and then stopped. How had two children managed to get their hands on a rare root such as ginseng? He waved it off and returned to his work, leaving the two children to themselves.

Zuko began walking and whispered, "weird poster, yeah?" Katara didn't answer- the question had simply been rhetorical. She nodded in agreement.

"Hey Zuko, how did that man know what that thing was?"

"Don't know, don't matter," was his swift reply.

She shrugged her shoulders in compliance, "ehhh, true."

* * *

A/N: Lots of talking, I know. Sorry, I couldn't help it. So I haven't watched the entire avatar TV series, so I am really sorry if I got personalities, titles, and names fucked up. To clear up some things I know that Katara indeed has dark skin, but for the sake of this fanfiction I'm going to say that she's light skinned just because there would be no story if the Fire Lord had killed her on the spot. This story will jump through their ages, but their childhood together is important so I won't skip through a big portion of it. … And thus the merchant makes her appearance. No, she has nothing to do with Katara or Zuko if any of you are interested. I hope you all will enjoy the 'rare items' the lady will provide them. She's an oc just an FYI, well, if you hadn't figured that out by now.


	3. Sister

A/N: For all those who enjoy visuals, I have a friend who just loves Zutara, so he's drawing pictures of how Katara and Zuko and the other characters look in my story. I'll have the links up on my page as soon as he's done scanning. More characters begin to come into the story. :) Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 2: Sister

* * *

"Katara, no, it's more like this," the boy kicked his leg high into the hair, keeping his foot straight and toes flexed forward. "Fire bending requires you to emit power from your body. In order to do that, you need much more strength and speed," he demonstrated with a swift punch, "to move yourself to release enough energy to create that power." He kicked the air, sparking embers that flowed in the direction his body moved. Through Iroh's weekly ministrations and lessons, fire bending came to feel like second nature to Zuko, so being in control of his flame came with great ease. "You need to feel relaxed," Katara watched with heightened interest as his fists glowed a bright crimson, "but at the same time, in control of your body's movements."

He walked toward her and grinned, "same dojo, older Katara, and yet, she's still unable to fire bend."

Yes, this was their dojo, and unbeknownst to her, it was the place where he had first met her when she baby. A couple of years had gone by-now he was 7, now she was 5. Oh, and, that's right, his little sister Azula was about to turn 2 in five days. He looked around the large room and realized how many scattered weapons surrounded them. Swords, spears, knives, lances, etc. He personally favored swords as his weapon of choice, second to his own limbs of course. Katara on the other hand, he eyed the magnitude of various weapons that lay discarded on the dojo mats, didn't have a particular weapon of choice. Then again, he didn't blame her. Perhaps she figured finding a weapon that suited her would help her fire bend. Uncle had said she'd learn it eventually. Everyday he and Katara trained, and everyday he had noticed her ability to learn and adapt quickly to change. She definitely wasn't a slow learner, heck, she was learning faster than he was when he was her age. So just when was eventually?

He patted her head, "in all due time, right?"

She pouted and picking up a small, blue dagger beside her, plopped down on the mat with a heavy sigh. Twirling the dagger around she gave him a dejected frown, "I don't understand why I still can't fire bend. I know how to use all of these weapons. I know how to fight. I can block and dodge your punches and your kicks. I can kick as high as you and punch as hard as you. I follow everyone one of your movements so well I might as well be your shadow. We train everyday and I still haven't improved…" She rubbed her face into the mat, shaking her head. "I really don't understand. Why am I so stupid?"

"Eyy. No foul language. Remember what Uncle did when he heard me say that word?" Katara stopped her gripe to look up at Zuko.

He was scowling.

She covered her mouth to stifle a small giggle. Katara looked down and then back at his face. She pointed a shaky finger at him, eyes beginning to water with tears of laughter.

"It's not funny," he hissed.

He remembered that day; he had been with his mother, enjoying a calm stroll, early in the morning within the sanctuary of her beloved garden. The grass always shined, the leaves of blossoming trees rustled with the slightest hints of raindrops, and the air always cooled his face as light breezes came and went. Zuko loved these times, these rare moments when he enjoyed time with his mother. His mother was calm like autumn, but bright and vivid like spring. Whenever she was around, he felt relaxed, at ease—he felt comfort. Then a maid suddenly appeared and walked towards her, and whispered something in her ear, something important. He watched as the maid followed his mother outside the gardens, leaving him alone until...

"Yes, yes it is…because he…he slapped you on the back of your head in front of that girl you like…your eyes were so big when that happened…It was so unexpected!"

"Yeah well, things are _never_ funny when they're at _my_ dispense."

Katara fell to her back, clutching her stomach as laughter filled the room. "The look on your face…ahahahahahaha!"

His eyes narrowed. "And her name's Mai."

Why had she remembered this particular event to be so…humorous? He certainly hadn't retained the same emotion. He'd wait for her amusement to pass.

.

..

…

Unfortunately for him, it didn't.

"Stop it already. That's enough. It's not funny anymore."

Katara's laughter was incessant, and it was driving him insane. So Zuko did the only thing boys know how to irritate girls. Other than push them into muddy water, of course. Fight fire with fire.

"Oh yeah, you think that's so funny, what about Jet?"

Her giggles softened and she sat upright, glaring at him. "What about him?"

Ah…that's where he was caught. What exactly about him? He'd thought of a plan, but it only consisted of part A. So now it was time for plan B. He picked up a sword that lay next to his foot. A flame shot up from his hand and encircled the steel blade, engulfing it with a fiery sheath. "Maybe you're different," Zuko mused, watching as she steadied herself, dagger in hand, laughter dead, "maybe you need to get angry in order to learn how to fire bend. Uncle said that's how my father learned how to channel his energy." Nothing he said contained lies. Everything he spoke was truth, and anyone could see it, anyone could justify it—whenever his father got mad, power and raw energy poured out of him. It scared him, it scared his mother, and he saw it once in his Uncle's eyes—disappointment, sadness, and something he couldn't quite understand. It was despair.

Katara nodded in agreement, "okay, let's try that then."

But if Katara learned how to fire bend this way, would she become like his father? 'Consumed by hatred, submerged forever in anger' as Iroh had whispered that day. He watched blankly as she readied herself into her usual stance, determination filled her eyes. He looked down at his sword and dropped it.

No, she won't. I won't let her.

She gaped, eyes wide. "I don't think you have it in you. Let's just continue this later." He yawned, stretching his arms to the sky, "I'm hungry."

Katara hissed and latched onto his back, hitting the back of his head with her fists. "I don't have it in me? You're the one who's walking away from the fight!"

Zuko's arms scrambled to his back, trying to pry her off of him. A few minutes ago they were sparring, and now, well, now he was practically giving her a piggy-back ride. "I said I'm hungry!"

She continued her assault on his head, "yeah, well I want to learn fire bending!"

He frantically jogged around the room with caution, trying his hardest to carefully maneuver around weapons at all costs to save himself from impaling his own feet. The heavy 5-year-old pounding on his head as if it were an uncrackable egg wasn't helping much. He gave up going for her torso and grabbed her hands, successfully stopping her from doing further damage to his brilliant brain. She stopped struggling and he okayed this as a sign of defeat. Oh boy, how he was wrong…

She rammed her forehead into the crown of his head and they both fell to the floor, seething in pain.

"Oh no, Zuko…"

"Nice headbutt Katara! Didn't know ya had it in ya!"

The two looked up to see two familiar figures by the doorway. Zuko's head fell back down to the mat. His head was spinning, and embarrassment flooded his mind. How un-cool!

Katara on the other hand, had already gotten up and began a conversation with Jet. The smaller girl with black hair in buns sat beside Zuko and patted his back. "Are you okay?"

Horrified. That was the emotion he felt. Forget pain, humiliation had him pinned to the ground like a fly that had been swatted down with a toothpick. He blushed into the mat and muttered, "…fine. I'm not hurt _that_ bad."

She seemed to have sensed his embarrassment and walked away to pick up the fallen weapons to place them back into their rightful places against the wall. How ladylike, he mused, turning from the graceful girl's back to that she-devil-child. Unlike that girl. She should be more than grateful that I spar and train with her than other more worthy people. He rolled his eyes and dismissed her from his thoughts, turning his attention back to the girl fumbling with sharp weapons. If he didn't help her soon, she would be the one getting impaled. So he got up and walked to her, said he'd help her, and she smiled, thanking him gratefully. About time someone showed some appreciation.

* * *

"Hey Zuko, I'm bored."

"Well get over it."

"But I'm booooooooored."

"Katara, I'm trying to concentrate."

"Hey Zuko," she slammed her hands on his desk, knocking him out of his calm sense, "lets go visit Mrs. Li." She messed up his papers and grinned at his angry expression. "Please? Come on, let's go." She messed up his hair, grinning so wide he could've sworn the ends of her lips began to bleed. "Please?"

Mrs. Li was that portly woman they had bumped into during their quest for Iroh's magical tea with healing powers. It was a lucky meeting, perhaps fate? After an exchange of words, they received a ginseng root for free, as a token for being the woman's first customers. Before they left, she said, "be sure to come back once in a while, we re-stock every month." After a few visits, it became apparent to Zuko (Katara on the other hand, had been oblivious to the oddity of the variety of products the woman had on display) that she sold exquisite and rare items. Secret of trade, she had told him when he asked. And in truth, he didn't mind going either, the change of scenery and sea-scented blowing winds might be a nice change from the stale ones in his room.

"Okay, let's see what she has this month," he stood and followed her to the door. He walked gracefully and calm with poise, behavior appropriate for the prince of the fire nation. She bounced up and down the halls, excitement coating her every step. Unrefined glee.

* * *

They headed to the docks, watching as birds soared high above them, casting brief shadows on their bodies as they flew past them. The clouds were painted on the sky, spread out as far as their eyes could see. The sky was such a bright blue, life was peaceful, and the two children enjoyed as the shining sun warmed their skin after the cool breezes whipped their faces with gentle whispers. If only the palace could be like this-so alive. People talked amongst each other with smiles on their faces, birds cawed to each other when the scent of fresh fish hauled on deck filled the air, and the sun shone on everything. Everywhere he looked, Zuko realized the differences of his life and the people here. Houses and shops looked so run down compared to the luxurious rooms of the palace. Here everything was open, and people were kind to each other. He wondered if his father had ever came out here to look upon the people he governed, to see how they lived so deprived, yet so comfortably.

"Ah, here it is!" Katara's voice brought him out of his reverie.

A woman's voice bellowed within the house. "Oh my, is that Katara I hear?" The woman wiped her hands on her worn down dress. She hurried out the house and came to greet the two. "My oh my, how you two have grown since I last saw you!" She hugged the two children and stood back, admiring their faces. "Have you two come to see my newest item?"

Katara nodded enthusiastically. Zuko raised a brow as he watched the woman struggle to bring something in front of them. It was wrapped in a large bundle.

"It's a hot new item I assure you! Even I don't have one installed yet, but let me tell you children, some time soon _everyone_ will want one!" She patted the bundle. "Well, let me show you what it is and how it works..."

Zuko and Katara had a bit of trouble bringing their 'hot new item' back into the palace. Mrs. Li had seen their problem and let them borrow a small wagon. The sturdy wheels had definitely helped them with their journey back home. Honestly, Zuko hadn't expected this item to be the 'item of the month.' But whatever, it was indeed very interesting and it seemed very useful. Katara had seemed to agree with his thoughts. And now they were back in the palace, showing Iroh their newly purchased rare product.

Iroh raised a brow, "and just what does this contraption do?"

Zuko looked up and got off it, lifting the white lid to show him the bowl under it. Katara demonstrated by dropping a leaf into the half-full tank, and pushed the silver handle down. Everyone watched in great fascination as the leaf circled around the bowl, sinking lower and lower until it was gone. Iroh regained his posture, eye brows scrunched up together in a thoughtful expression, and placed his hands behind him at ease.

"It's...a 'toilet' from overseas," Zuko and Katara mumbled, wondering what Iroh thought about the apparatus. Was it a mistake?

Iroh was silent for a few moments.

"Can we get this in a different color?"

* * *

"Azula, she's just so perfect isn't she?" The Fire Lord smirked, holding the young girl in his arms.

The woman watched him quietly. "I wonder where Zuko went. Do you know where he's gone?"

The man snorted, an obvious sign that he really didn't care about his son's whereabouts, "probably out pushing daisies with that girl Iroh brought." He flung Azula up in the air, catching the giggling child just before she touched the floor. "Did you see that? When I did the same to Zuko, he nearly cried and wet his robes." He held Azula up in front of him, "you'll do **great** things, now won't you, darling?" Conquer the world, destroy your enemies, destroy my enemies, for you have no fear. The child grabbed his fingers, looking up, as if asking for another hoist into the air. Demanding too, such a great trait. Like father, like daughter. He turned to his wife to glance at her briefly, and turned his attention back to his flying daughter. Like mother, like son. They're too weak to rule a nation, too soft to have the heart to kill, too compassionate, too hesitant to crush both the innocent and the guilty in order to move forward.

"But you, Azula, _you _will be different. You _will_, because you _can_."

He caught her.

"Because you're _my_ daughter."

Because you're mine.

* * *

A/N: Just an fyi, I like to focus a majority of my attention on the main characters (Zuko and Katara in this case), so even though there will be an influx of new characters joining the story, they're just the side salad to the main course. As and such, their own stories will be short, but in detail mind you. Every crumb is just as important as the cookie as a whole-take it away, and it just isn't as tasty! After all, that crumb might've had a delicious piece of chocolate chip on it! :) Pardon my parallelism to food, it's almost time for me to make dinner, haha.


	4. War

A/N: So…Mike's scanner broke. Technology, -shakes head and turns back to listen to an iPod- so unreliable and useless. :P A break from their memories as children. Enjoy.

* * *

Present Day

Chapter 3: War

* * *

From ever since ever, the Fire Nation had been at war with its bordering nations. Why? Well of course, they don't tell you everything; about how things came to be, who really threw the first punch, and which side was fighting for the more noble cause. No, they only tell you just enough to ensure that you're fighting on their side, for their beliefs, for _their_ cause. And that's exactly how children were brought up, raised to think—_we're _the good guys, _they're _the enemy. Everyone else who doesn't join a side is just as guilty, and _will_ be caught in the crossfire. These were the national, so-called patriotic ideas that were constantly instilled and recycled into the minds of little ones, who grew up to become _his_ ideal, brainwashed little soldiers of war.

The Fire Lord sat back in his chair, watching as his fleet of elite warriors marched to the sound of war. Each thump that drowned the red skies reminded him of the sound of his own heartbeat. Everything was all going according to plan. He turned his attention from the marvelous spectacle outside these walls to the young man standing in front of him. Releasing a large amount of air form his mouth in a heavy sigh, the Fire Lord crossed his legs and rested his chin on his knuckles in an intimidating manner. Pausing for a second, he smirked down at his son, "Zuko, I do hope you succeed this time to compensate your previous…failure."

"I will restore my honor."

"Let's hope that's the case, because you won't return to me as a failure twice."

Banishment. This mission would either release him of his past endeavors or banish him forever. He'd be the prince of the Fire Nation no more.

Zuko nodded and bowed swiftly. The woman beside followed suite and shadowed him out the door. As the magnificent twin doors shut, she uttered no sound and raised a hand to gently pat his back. His head turned slightly in recognition for a second, and then immediately turned back to stare ahead of him. To stare at the road, the journey, the purgatory before him. Would he be able to do it? Something like this?

…To steal someone's freedom…and turn it into his own?

Katara stood beside him, still a head and a half shorter than him, still the same feisty unable-to-learn-how-to-fire-bend-girl, still his best friend, still the one person he trusted to have his back without a moment's hesitation, and still the only person (well, with the exception of Iroh of course) who trusted him just as well. When he had faltered, she was there to support him. When he had been branded by his father, she was there beside him. When his mother died, she was there to cry with him. And now, she was here to see him undertake another ordeal. He was thankful for her presence; it was one of the only things that truly kept him sane and in check. Zuko felt a fist connect with the back of his head and lunged forward. Well, sans her ability to literally _knock_ him back to reality. That was something he wasn't really thankful for, even if an occasional slap from her did do the job.

"So…?"

She circled around him, eyes narrowed as she scrutinized his expression as if she were trying to crack a code to decipher his thoughts. Stopping in front of him, she reached out and squeezed his cheeks, "Zuko, what're you going to do?" A stretch here, "are we going to get on a ship?" A stretch there, "because they're filling up awfully fast, you know." A pang here, "don't wanna miss a ship, now do we?" A sharp pinch there, "so let's hurry and go!"

She let go and jogged to the dock, flailing her arms around wildly in the air. What about packing? Boy, did Katara never plan ahead...? He looked behind him to see a huffing Iroh come up beside him, two large bags in hand. Thank the spirits for Iroh.

"Aren't you coming Uncle?"

The old man recovered his breath and patted his chest, "of course I'm coming!"

Zuko raised a brow, "where's your bag?"

"It was already loaded during early morning. First class perk, I guess." He dropped the luggage and ran to Katara, "KATTYYYYYY!"

Zuko's eye nearly twitched as he watched the heartwarming spectacle unfold before him. His own uncle had left him with these heavy sandbags to hug Katara. Merciless uncle. He rolled his eyes and trudged his way towards him. Just what the hell did Katara have packed in her bag?

He sneered at the doors that led to his father's throne. Maybe he'd just abort this mission and be exiled. Heck, if regaining his honor meant more slaps and hits from Katara, and more of his uncle's laziness, screw it—he didn't need that. Then before he knew it, he stood between them. He glanced from Katara to his uncle and saw their smiling faces that shined brightly in the sun. He didn't _need_ their cumbersome antics, per se...but he **did** want to be with them. He understood it then—he needed them.

And, he decided, as they both took a bag, a heavy weight off his shoulders, he'd fight the world just to be with them.

* * *

"You called."

The Fire Lord once again reverted his attention from his marching army, "yes, I did."

"Whatever for?"

He smirked and shot a string of fire towards the speaker who dodged gracefully. He stood up from his throne and walked toward the figure. "Keep an eye on Zuko, but stay out of his business. If he dies in the process, you leave him to rot. If you come across enemy, lead them to Zuko. Make his journey difficult; let's make him become more like you. Well," he laughed, "if that's even possible, Azula."

Azula smirked and bowed graciously.

"When will you be ready to leave?"

She turned around and raised a glowing fist, "father, really?" She hissed and growled lowly, "I'm always ready." The Fire Lord nodded and she walked away. Her eyes closed as she exhaled, body quirking with excitement, limbs tense and ready for action. Oh, this was going to be great. Watching her brother fail _again_, fun. Being the cause of his failure, hilarious. Seeing his face fill with horror as everything that ever meant a damn to him destroyed, fucking priceless. Azula laughed so loudly the shrieks reverberated around the empty halls. She ceased her laughter and seriousness once again replaced her jovial appearance.

"Mai, Suki. Let's go."

Suki glanced at Mai, her eyes unwavering. She knew Mai had a crush on Zuko, and hoped desperately that her affection wasn't strong enough to be a component that could compromise the mission. She'd never tell Azula, ever. All hell would brake loose if she ever found out. This would be hard on Mai's heart, but what could she do? Say that she wouldn't participate? Make some lame excuse? No, Azula would never take no as an answer. Suki sighed and gave Mai an understanding nod. Mai's eyes held no emotion as she followed Azula lead the way to their hidden ship.

Fire Nation women warriors were not only bold and beautiful, they were tanks full of brawn. Compared to the mission, the heart and it's own will came second to success. Mai understood this, and thus, she locked her heart away and followed Azula's orders. She would be strong; she could do this without faltering…not because she could, but because she had to.

There was one thing Mai couldn't understand though—why was Katara allowed to be near Zuko? Fight beside Zuko. Sail on the same ship as Zuko. Train with Zuko. Always near Zuko... Whereas she couldn't? Katara had been trained just like them, raised beside them, so what was her exception? What was so special about her? What was so different about her?

"Mai, you coming or what?" Azula had an annoyed expression on her face and Suki behind her just stared blankly, mouthing something she couldn't quite catch.

"Ah, yes, sorry."

* * *

On Board: Night

* * *

"So uncle…tell me…" Zuko glared at Iroh, rolling a marble between his fingers, "why must I be the one bunking with you?"

Iroh gave him a surprised smile, "why, so that we can bond, my dear nephew!"

Zuko banged his head against the table in front of him repeatedly, "but you _snore_ uncle, and _I'm _the light sleeper." He released a heavy sigh and stared at the door beside Iroh, his words were muffled, "why can't I bunk with Katara? She never snores!"

Iroh laughed, "Zuko, as much as I love you, I can't allow that."

Zuko groaned, "and why's that uncle?"

Iroh raised a brow and grinned devilishly, "you both are at _that_ ripe, golden age, raging hormones and all. Can't have no hanky panky going on during such an important mission, you know!"

Zuko felt his mouth drop. He felt his face burn with embarrassment and his heart do jumping jacks. No words could describe what he was feeling, so he did the most reasonable thing that came to mind. He grabbed a pillow and flung it at the old man, watching with smug satisfaction as he saw the man fall to the ground and land with a loud thud.

* * *

Katara had never been out on battle grounds. Sure, she had enough training to prepare her for battle. But war? That was more than she had been expecting. But, she sighed, there was no turning back now. She looked up at the midnight, dark sky. She had made her decision to stay with Zuko and help him regain his honor, and she would stick to that promise until the very end. Katara turned her head to her right and noticed a familiar figure, dressed in a red coat with black robes.

"Zuko," she called out softly, and joined his side by the rear of the ship. She hadn't seen this serious side of him before—his composure was straight, eyes focused, and lips pursed in a thin line as if he were deep in thought. Then she realized, the Zuko who stood before her was no longer the childish playmate she had grown up with, but a man, a man who was ready to fight for his honor, a man eager to face battle and stand tall, proud, victorious. He had changed, and it made her heart ache.

He continued to stare off into the wide sea, making no movement to acknowledge her presence. She continued anyway, "I talked to uncle earlier. He said we'll arrive at the Earth Nation within a week. I'd be best if you got some rest, you've been standing outside for a while so you might catc—"

"Katara," he began, "are you sure you want to be here? Are you strong enough to handle all this?" He'd only been worried about her safety, after all, Iroh had said that war would be vicious, and death would come swiftly to many if they weren't careful. She of course, being Katara, took it the wrong way.

Katara glowered at him. How dare he question her? Even if she was only two years younger, even if she was only 17, even if she couldn't fire bend, so what? All she wanted to do was to help him out during this time of crises. "What's wrong with me coming?" she rested her hands on her hips, "do you think that just because I'm a woman I can't be as much help to you as the other warriors?"

Katara stomped a foot on the ground and met his glare head on. "I can't fire bend, but you've been with me since we were babies! You _know_ what I can do! I've even beaten you a couple times!"

"Katara..."

"You know what? I don't need your approval to be here. If you don't like it then—"

Ah...she's mad.

"Katara," Zuko called gruffly.

"What?"

He sighed and leaned his forehead against hers, the tip of their noses barely touching. He breathed in calmly before continuing, "Iroh told me all about war. It's not something to take lightly or joke about." He paused, staring straight into her eyes, "you could die."

His eyes held a look of...genuine worry in them, and somehow, Katara felt guilty for yelling at him. She reached up and caressed his cheek like she always did, wincing a bit as she felt how cold he was. There wasn't much she could say, so she broke his gaze and nuzzled into the warm, crook of his shoulder.

"So could you..."

They stayed together for a long time, watching as clouds came and went, pointing and connecting stars that twinkled brighter than the last, and picking out ambiguous figures in the large moon—the guardian of all that surfaced within the bright, dark skies.

Zuko's back was now against a wall, supporting both himself and the girl who sat between his legs. She signed contently and leaned her back on his chest. They'd always been close, they'd always enjoyed each others company. But recently, Katara, mused, she began to enjoy and appreciate rare moments like these. Ever since he became 15, he began to get tied up into a mesh of new responsibilities, and their time together began to shorten dramatically. Katara felt something cold, but soft brush against her cheek and looked up at Zuko in confusion. He made no attempt to remove his cheek from hers, but looked down to the ground, eying his surroundings nervously. The sea breeze today was especially cool.

With a faint blush he pouted, "...you're warm."

She chuckled lightly and continued to stare up at the moon-lit sky. Leaning back into him, cheeks still touching, Katara felt the muscles of his face move upwards in a smile. And together they enjoyed the soothing lullaby of the ocean's soft waves.

* * *

Katara awoke to the sound of loud knockings on her door. Midway through kicking off her bedsheets to find the source of that annoying sound, she saw a smiling man. "Rise and shine, Kat!" It was her roommate. Of course, today was the first time she'd met him. Her midnight meeting with Zuko the other night had taken up all her time. Since her decision to aid in this battle had been of late notice, she had to bunk with another man, even if she was a woman. After all, all of the Fire Nation warriors were male.

"Is it really morning already?" Katara asked, rubbing the back of her head. She could already feel that her hair was a mess. How embarrassing.

"Sure is, Kat. Oh, and can I spar with you later today? I keep hearing great things about your fighting abilities! Oh, and don't worry, it ain't nothin' bad! I've heard that even prince Zuko praised you!" The young man's smile widened in a reassuring manner, " so if there's any worrying, it should be done by me, haha!"

Katara grinned. Her roommate was certainly a chatty one. "By the way, uhm..."

"Masaru," the young man said, bowing gracefully. How charming.

"Masaru, would you mind stepping out for a moment?"

"Why?" his head cocked to the side. How cute!

Katara gave him a small smile, "so I can...change."

The young man's face immediately lit up with a fiery blush as he jumped out of the door spilling apologies. Katara chuckled as the door clicked shut behind her. Just as her nightgown was off and on the ground, the door opened again. She turned to the intruder, hands jutted to criss-cross over her breasts reflexively. Her blue, wide eyes met confused, golden ones.

"ZUKO! GET OUT!" she screeched, grabbing the nearest object her hands could find, flinging it without mercy at the shocked prince. "GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT!"

Zuko dodged a barrage of flying vases and various, fairly expensive items. He didn't know why he didn't move, but continued to watch Katara with a heightened interest instead. He couldn't help it, but he was rooted to the ground.

"Hey, what's with all the ruckus Kat?" Masaru asked, joining the prince's side to stare at an almost barely naked Katara. His mouth fell agape. "Kat! You—!" Zuko looked to his right and met eyes with the young man beside him. Kat? Who the hell was this brat to use such an intimate nickname for Katara? He grimaced, dodging airborne objects as he pushed the man out of harms way.

The screams continued even after Zuko had slammed her door shut. Earlier he had just wanted to talk to her about his morning plans—plain and simple. And clean. What he'd just witnessed was beyond and above what he'd expected to see from a casual morning visit. What he had seen was something only intimate lovers should see. He fought back a spreading blush and felt his chest constrict with an foreign feeling—it was thumping wildly, much too fast to be normal. This reaction was...irregular. The hell was this feeling? Then he remembered the other man, who stood and watched, mouth agape. He felt rage, and an odd impulse to punch this man in the face. He looked down at the boy and scowled.

"What were you doing there?"

The man pointed to himself, "me? What were _you_ doing there? I've never seen you around." He stood up and patted dust off his fanny. One second he was calm, the second he went ape shit. He jumped up, pointing a finger at Zuko, eyes wide, "I hope you weren't peeking!"

Zuko's brows furrowed. Jumping to conclusions, overly dramatic...another Katara? "Me? Peeking?" He snorted, " and at _her_ no less? ...never."

The man grinned and hung his arm around Zuko's neck in a friendly manner. The prince doubted that the young man knew who he was, so he played along, but couldn't help but raise a brow at his curious act of affection. "I'm Masaru! New recruit! But don't judge me just yet, I was hand picked at selections for my abilities. Don't let my appearance fool you, haha! Anyway, I'm Kat's roommate, you know, that girl back there. Ya'know, I was surprised to see a woman was my roommate. After all, I've never heard of women being accepted into the Fire Nation army. Dangerous business, I suppose. Then again I wouldn't really know—I'm not from around these parts. But enough about me, what's your name?"

* * *

A/N: Love it? Hate it? I know, my ordering of events is just so messed up. Markus Zusak's _The Book Theif_ might've had something to do with it. If any of you are bored and want to read a good, emotional and powerful book...I say read that. It's one of those books where you end up loving, **loving** all of the characters in the story. Hm, funny how it's set in a period of war too... Anyway! ENTER MASARU! :D


	5. Masaru

A/N: So my girlfriend and I went to go see the Avatar movie. I thought it was okay, the special effects were pretty awesome, but the story dragged on too slow for my liking. My girlfriend on the other hand...ahhahahahah! She was like, "OH MY GOD. Alex. Alex...ZUKO WASN'T EVEN HOT! Alex! What was up with that? In the beginning I was like, 'okay...so where's Zuko? ...THAT'S ZUKO?'"

Oh, and apparently they mispronounced 'aang,' avatar,' and 'sokka.' I didn't even notice that until it was pointed out to me.

Mike's scanner is up and running, btw. ( **http : / fav . me / d2v65xd** ) He's a novice artist, just a quick fyi. Enjoy! :)

* * *

Chapter 4: Masaru

* * *

Zuko found it hard to keep himself **concentrated** on staying mad at the young man. He watched as Masaru's face lit up with animation, fell down in dejection, quirked eyebrows as he retold the latest gossip about well-known nobles, and spoke affectionately about his hometown. Zuko wondered how the other man could conjure up so many different topics to talk about within seconds when it took him hours to even _think_ of an interesting subject to talk about! Zuko conjured that Masaru was an extrovert by nature, and wondered whether or not the man's amazing ability to converse was also reflected in his combat skills.

The man looked up to the ceiling, raising a clenched fist in excitement, "…and I can't wait to spar with Kat later today! She promised me earlier this morning," he scratched the back of his head nervously, "oh, that's right. I nearly forgot to ask—are you new? Cuz I've never seen you around. Well, I'll tell you something—I may not be from around these parts, but I've heard lots regarding Kat's fighting skills! She's praised not only by fellow soldiers just like us, but by the young prince of the Fire Nation as well!"

Zuko leaned against the wall and crossed his arms, wary to keep his scar concealed from view. Ahh…so Masaru truly didn't know who he was. Interesting, this recruit really was new. Zuko smirked and nodded to assure the other man that he was listening. Unfortunately, keeping up with Masaru's topics wasn't all he was concentrated on. No, he was irked that this oblivious twat had seen his best friend barely dressed. So he decided to feign ignorance and play along.

In truth, he had to admit that it was nice being able to talk freely with someone who didn't regard him with formalities. Straight faced and honest, that's how Masaru was talking to him. No lies, just pure genuinity. And he'd repay the favor. After all, the young prince did have manners.

"Do you want to have a go at the prince too?" He rubbed his chin in thought, "I'm sure he'd want to keep his skills well polished for the upcoming battle. A spar or two a day ought to help keep him on his toes." Everything he had said was true; Zuko hadn't been out at sea in a while, and he was feeling restless—he had so much energy he felt the need to exert it all in order to pacify his anxiousness. He needed to move around, feel his body warm with exercise, and feel heat run through his limbs once more.

Masaru jumped up and down, his eyes sparkled with excitement. "You could really do that? Dude, you're so awesome!" He slapped Zuko on the shoulder, an action he wasn't prepared for.

Zuko staggered back, baffled at the man's audacity. He continued to gape as Masaru reached for his hand and shook it violently, grinning widely, "by the way, you still haven't told me your name…?"

Before Zuko had a chance to open his mouth to speak, a loud shriek was heard thundering through the hallways. "ZUKO! MASARU!" cried out an angry Katara. She marched her way over to them, slamming the door shut behind her so roughly Zuko felt the wall behind him shake as a shock wave passed. Both men looked at each other and gulped in fear. A pissed off woman was definitely not a good sign.

She stopped in front of Zuko and stabbed a finger into his chest, pushing him further into the wall, "the hell was with you opening my door without knocking!"

Then she turned to Masaru, making him bump into the opposite wall, shrinking back in fear, "and you! Masaru! Didn't I say I was going to change? You could have at least—" Masaru opened his mouth to speak, but immediately shut it when Katara glared at him, "—told him not to come in!"

Katara covered her face with her hands, still mortified at the situation. She could cry.

"You're dressed now, so let's go get breakfast," came Zuko's voice.

She turned her head and glared at him, "how can I eat breakfast after…after that?"

He snorted, "it wasn't _that _bad. There wasn't much to see anyway."

Katara gasped, nostrils flaring in anger. "Not much?"

"Mm. Nothing at all."

His reply came swift and monotone. He needed to sound calm in order to help make her calm, right? Zuko decided to use the ol' reverse psychology trick on her. Jet had said it worked wonders on women. He was a natural lady's man, so he was definitely someone to trust in a situation like this, right? If she thought that the situation was embarrassing, he'd just convince her otherwise. Telling a girl that there was nothing to see would help calm her down, right?

Fuck no, she just got angrier.

Katara's fists balled beside her legs, she was seething in vexation. How dare he say that there was **nothing** to see? She was at her peak—17! She was a fully-grown, mature woman! "There was nothing to see? Nothing at all?" She gritted her teeth and felt her right eye twitch.

Zuko continued his calm charade and frowned, "yes. Why are you so angry?" He really didn't understand.

"NOTHING?"

Masaru looked between Katara and the man he'd been talking to. His brain froze at Zuko. The man's name was Zuko? As in prince Zuko? Haha, no way! As if… Right?

"Kat, is this guy the famed prince Zuko? The Fire Nation's prince Zuko? The Fire Lord's son?"

Katara and Zuko stopped their argument to glare at Masaru. Obviously he hadn't kept up with the conversation.

"Uhh yeah. The one and only."

Masaru dropped to the floor and bowed, "it's a pleasure to meet you, prince Zuko!" A second later he stood back up, "wait, Kat, how do you know the prince? And why did he come to our cabin?" He noticed a faint blush on the prince's face, but before he could rub his eyes for confirmation, Zuko had turned around.

"Get breakfast on your own then. We'll talk later." He walked up the stairs, muttering something along the lines of, 'over-reacting, dramatic, stupid, crazy woman.'

Masaru waited until Zuko's silhouette disappeared. Honestly, he didn't know what had transpired between the two, but he was glad that it seemed as if they came to a mutual consensus. He turned to face her and grinned, "wow Kat! You've got some powerful connections, girl!"

Katara sulked and frowned. "I'm not really hungry…after all _that_. Still up for that spar? I need to relieve myself of some…stress."

Masaru grinned in reply and pretty much flew up the stairs. Katara shook her head. Masaru was hard to stay mad at. Zuko, on the other hand… She blushed in anger. What the hell did he mean by, 'nothing to see?' There was **so** much to see!

* * *

Zuko returned to his room right after that encounter. He sat on the edge of his bed, burring his face in his hands. For the second time, he had felt that burning sensation—heat flooded his face, his palms had gotten sweaty, and his heart still hadn't stopped beating erratically. Just what the fuck was wrong with him? His body, reactions, everything just fluctuated.

It was exciting though, in a way, and he had to admit that this new sensation wasn't at all half bad. …Even if he felt like he was going to die any second. Was it weird to admit that it was feeling was thrilling? Maybe he had a strange fetish, he mused.

With a heavy sigh, he collapsed on the bed. When did this start? He covered his eyes with his arm. The cool ocean breeze felt relaxing. Breathing in deeply, he let the sounds of the ocean lull his to sleep once more.

* * *

"Okay Kat, here I go!" Masaru cried with a goofy grin on his face as he lunged towards her. Katara said nothing, but grabbed his arm once he was close enough and flipped him over. The poor boy landed on his back with a painful thud.

"Ouch, guess this time the rumors didn't lie, haha!" He got back up and scratched his nose nervously. "Say, how old are you Kat? You look like you're around my age!"

Katara blinked at the sudden question and laughed, "why are you so curious?" She got into a battle position and stretched her arms out before her, "how about…if you hand a successful hit this round, I'll tell you."

Masaru grinned, "sure thing, Kat! Be prepared to loose!"

Katara lunged forward first, throwing a barrage of fists at him. He dodged a couple dodges, but one of her fists connected and grazed his cheek. He winced and recoiled in pain. Big mistake. He felt another sharp pain in his leg as she kicked him, making him kneel down on his good knee. Just as another one of her limbs connected with his body, Masaru rolled on the ground and stood back up.

"Time to get serious, huh?"

"Of course! Come at me with your all!"

She ran at him again, fists up and ready. She jabbed, he dodged. She flipped and kicked; he dodged and returned her blows. She attacked with a roundhouse kick here and there, and he sent her dropkicks in return. Katara dropped to the ground and swung an outstretched leg, sweeping it across the floor in hopes to trip him...but missed again. She looked around desperately trying to locate Masaru. Shit, how had she lost sight of him? Katara noticed the mistake a second too late, and within the blink of an eye, Masaru had her pinned beneath him.

"How?" she asked, her eyes wide. "I didn't even see that, Masaru!"

He grinned triumphantly above her, "I may not know much about your fire nation ways, but I'll have you know that back at my hometown I was known as 'Lighting MasuMasu!"

Katara nodded in acknowledgment. She had to admit that he was indeed fast. The name was fitting, and the nick was certainly cute—MasuMasu. It had a cute ring to it.

"So? How old are you? You promised~!"

"17."

His eyes widened, "haha! Really? I just knew that you were about my age, but I never thought we'd be the _same_ age! What about Zuko? It'd be nice if I knew something more about him since he also promised to spar with me later today." He scrunched up his nose, as if holding in a sneeze. "Speaking of which, you guys must be good friends if he would travel to our cabin just to talk to you."

Katara rolled her eyes. MasuMasu clearly couldn't read body language or understand the situation. "We're childhood friends. He's 19, two years older than us. And…do you mind?" She smiled at him, "you're kind of, uh, in the way."

Masaru looked down and blushed, embarrassed for not realizing their awkward body placement. One of his legs was in between her and his hands rested on both sides of her head. They were old enough to realize that this was a rather…suggestive position for a man and a woman to be in. "I'm so sorry Kat!" He moved his body off of hers as fast as his muscles could move.

She stood up and brushed herself clean of dirt. It was at that moment when Masaru looked up that he blushed hard. Real hard. Sure, there were plenty of pretty girls where he had come from, but he had never met a woman who could fight, have such smooth skin despite being a born fighter (he had brushed her arm a couple times), a beautiful sun-kissed face, strikingly unique sapphire eyes, and long wavy raven hair. The sun rose behind them, casting a brilliant, summer gold glow on her. The side of his mouth curved into a crooked smile. His roommate was certainly very pretty, and just as strong. Just as his eyes began to focus, he opened her mouth.

"Come on, I'm somewhat hungry now. Let's get some breakfast and we can start again." She held her arm out to him and smiled gently to reassure him. "I won't bite, Masaru."

He nodded, still somewhat entranced, and reached for her hand. Ahh…yes…that soft, smooth and silky skin. Just as he was off the ground, Katara let go of his hand and watched as he staggered and fell back down. She cringed a bit as she heard him land with a loud thump. He stared up at Katara with his emerald eyes wide, completely flabbergasted.

She stuck her tongue out at him and guffawed at his shocked expression, "don't be so gullible next time!" She turned around, humming as she headed to the mess hall. Masaru's confused, puppy eyes followed her until she was ought of sight. Immediately he clenched his shirt in his hands.

"Oh dear spirits! I can't be in love, can I?" He felt his thumping heart and cupped his face, his eyes looked up to the sky as he rocked himself back and forth. "THIS IS WAR, MASARU! Get a grip on yourself, man!" He slapped himself until he felt level headed. He shook himself free of any lingering thoughts, trying to focus his mind on something else. He followed the same route Katara had taken to the mess hall, "must've been that weird burrito from that rare trading lady at the dock…god I feel gassy or something…how embarrassing…"

* * *

Zuko hadn't been hungry, he had been too busy reassuring himself that he wasn't sick—that he didn't need help to calm his thumping heart. He tossed and turned on his bed, closing his eyes, repeating deep breathing exercises. Hell, he even lied face down in his pillows in an attempt to drown out the annoying thumping of his heart.

Iroh walked into the room and raised a brow. "You weren't at breakfast, Zuko."

"Wasn't hungry, uncle."

Zuko heard the shifting of footsteps and the sound of Iroh's bed squeak.

"You know, I think Katy made a friend. They were at breakfast, happily chatting away. It'd be good if you all became friends. I think his name was Masuri…Masaro…Mas…something like that."

"Met him already. He's a new recruit. And his name is Masaru, uncle."

"Ahh! That's great then! You've already been acquainted!"

"Mm, yes. Great. What do you need, uncle?"

Iroh gasped, "why I'm hurt, dear nephew! Can't your uncle come in just to have a little chat?"

Zuko sat up straight and glared at Iroh. Something was up.

"Zuko, all I want is for you to relax and make some new friends."

"I have all the friends I need, uncle. Don't worry."

Iroh clicked his tongue in disappointment. "When had my nephew become so cold? The only people you really talk to are me and Katara, you know."

Zuko rolled his eyes and collapsed back into the comforts of his bed. "And Jet, and Mai."

"They aren't here right now, though, are they?"

"No, but I've got you and Katara."

Iroh sighed and shook his head, as if he had anticipated Zuko's swift answer. "Sure I'm still hip and awesome, but Zuko, you should hang with youngsters your age. You know, 'keepin' it real,' 'keepin' it fresh,' and 'awesome sauce.'"

What was Iroh trying to get at? At least this conversation was helping him take his mind off of the morning's previous events. He felt his heart return back to it's normal, steady beat. Zuko sighed in relief, he was going to live.

"Oi, oi! What are you going to do if it isn't you Katara hangs out with all the time?"

Zuko chuckled at Iroh's ludicrous comment. As if that would ever happen. "Uncle, Katara and I have known each other since we were young enough to crawl! There's no way a bond like that could be broken!" No amount of _days_ she spent with that new recruit could replace the _years_ he had spent with her, right?

"You never know, Zuko. All it takes is a little time for friendship to deepen and grow like a wildfire."

"You've grown senile, uncle. You think too much," Zuko turned his back to Iroh and faced the wall, "There's nothing to worry about."

_Nothing_ to worry about...

* * *

A/N: Next chapter will continue with their childhood. Thanks for reading and reviewing! :)


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